The present invention relates to locksmith tools and particularly to an apparatus which is used so that the exact length of lock pins in a lock can be determined so that the right key can be made which will unlock the particular lock.
In the prior art, there are generally two ways of making keys for conventional locks. The first way is to duplicate the original key or a copy of it and then use it to lock or unlock a door (depending on what one wants to do each time).
The second way of making a key for a particular lock is to know the "code" of a given key. That means, one gives the key a number (a "code") which indicates the length of lock pins or locking elements in the lock. This number is often printed on the key cuts on the lock. Knowing the number of a particular key, another key can be made by duplicating the length of key cuts which correspond to the number of the lock, as mentioned above.
The present invention relates to this type of lock, but the way of making a key for a particular lock is different than the ones described above and particularly useful when the original key and the lock code are not available.